Physician - Psychiatrist

Veterans Health Administration • Savannah, GA

5d • Onsite

About The Position

The Ralph H. Johnson VA is hiring a Psychiatrist to provide psychiatric care to Veterans, including geriatric and post-deployment combat Veterans with mental illness and psychosocial challenges. The role provides psychiatric evaluation and treatment in outpatient, inpatient, and emergency department settings, with clinical privileges potentially covering depression, anxiety, psychosis, PTSD, substance abuse, and other psychiatric disorders. The Psychiatrist may also serve as a mental health team leader, coordinate specialty referrals, and participate in supervision and teaching for the psychiatric residency program.

The position is based at the Ralph H. Johnson VA in Charleston, South Carolina. The work schedule is Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., subject to change based on agency needs. The role includes on-call duties and requires maintaining competency in telehealth technologies. This is an open continuous announcement; applications are accepted on an ongoing basis, and applications remain on file until September 30, 2027.

VA offers a total rewards package that may include a recruitment or relocation incentive for a highly qualified candidate and eligibility for the Education Debt Reduction Program, subject to program requirements and approval. The announcement describes competitive salary, annual performance bonuses, regular salary increases, paid leave and holidays, federal retirement benefits, insurance, possible CME reimbursement, and malpractice liability protection with tail coverage.

Requirements

• Doctor of Medicine or an equivalent degree in allopathic or osteopathic medicine from an appropriately approved or accredited institution.
• Current, full, and unrestricted license to practice medicine or surgery in a U.S. state, territory, commonwealth, or the District of Columbia.
• Completion of qualifying residency training in an accredited core specialty training program leading to eligibility for board certification, or another qualifying training and independent-practice pathway described in the announcement.
• Proficiency in spoken and written English.
• U.S. citizenship, except that non-citizens may be appointed when qualified citizens cannot be recruited in accordance with VA policy.
• Selected candidates must pass a pre-employment physical evaluation and background/security investigation, and are subject to pre-employment drug screening for testing-designated positions.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is required for VA Health Care Personnel.
• Must be physically and mentally able to perform the essential functions of the position, with or without reasonable accommodation.

Nice To Haves

• Three to five years of post-residency experience as a licensed psychiatrist.
• Experience providing video-based telepsychiatry services.
• Experience working in a virtual team environment.

Responsibilities

• Perform psychiatric evaluations for a diverse population, including geriatric and post-deployment combat Veterans with mental illness and psychosocial issues.
• Provide diagnostic assessment, medication evaluation and management, suicide risk assessments, crisis intervention, and ongoing care for patients with psychiatric disorders.
• Ensure psychiatric practice complies with TJC, CARF, HIPAA, VA policies and procedures, clinical practice guidelines, statutes and regulations, medical-record documentation requirements, and mandatory continuing education.
• Provide psycho-diagnostic services and select appropriate psychotherapeutic techniques to deliver quality care.
• Coordinate consultations and triage specialty clinic referrals when serving as a mental health team leader.
• Participate in team meetings and treatment-planning conferences and collaborate with multidisciplinary team members to coordinate comprehensive patient care.
• Order diagnostic tests and consultations, interpret normal and abnormal findings, and make appropriate treatment decisions.
• Participate in supervision and teaching in support of the psychiatric residency program, as applicable.
• Perform on-call duties and other directly related duties as assigned.
• Maintain competency in telehealth technologies and use them effectively across multiple outpatient settings.

Benefits

• Potential recruitment or relocation incentive for a highly qualified candidate.
• Education Debt Reduction Program may be available for eligible positions and candidates, with a possible award of up to $200,000 subject to approval and program requirements.
• Competitive salary, annual performance bonus, and regular salary increases.
• 50–55 days of paid time off per year, including 26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid federal holidays, and possible five-day paid absence for CME.
• Traditional federal pension with five-year vesting and federal 401(k), with VA contributions of up to 5%.
• Federal health, vision, dental, term life, and long-term care insurance; many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement.
• Possible $1,000 per year CME reimbursement for full-time physicians with board certification.
• Free malpractice liability protection with tail coverage.
• No physician employment contract and no significant restriction on moonlighting.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree